Sometimes smashing a sink faucet with a hammer is just smashing a sink faucet with a hammer. At other times, as in the finale of House Of Cards' first season, it means a whole lot more. Blunt force might silence a dripping faucet, but it doesn't stop the underlying problem. Frank is surely going to find this out.

In these final episodes of the first season, House Of Cards has that feeling of last-minute panic. Everything is on the verge of crumbling and Frank's future looks bleak. Out of the blue waltzes Major Dad himself -- yes, Gerald McRaney -- and we have yet another wild card in the mix.